FUN CITY ELECTRONIC SUPPLY & Repair Co., Inc., 1975 Avenue D, New York City.
The following tape recording was made by the Federal Trade Commission through a rather unusual set of circumstances. The FTC established electronic surveillance of the aforementioned premises (court order MCC-#198-67BC) following complaints from several large recording companies that the proprietor of the Fun City Electronic Supply & Repair Co., Inc., Ernest Heinrich Mann, was engaged in a criminal activity, in that he purchased expensive commercial LP’s and tape recordings of classical music—operas and symphonies—recorded them onto his own tapes, and sold the tapes at a greatly reduced (but profitable) price to a large list of clients.
Tape FTC-30APR68-EHM-14.
CLERK: Yes?
ANDERSON: The owner around?
CLERK: Mr. Mann?
ANDERSON: Yes. Could I see him for a minute? I want to complain about an air conditioner you people sold me.
CLERK: I’ll get him.
[Lapse of nine seconds.]
ANDERSON: You installed an air conditioner in my place and it conked out after I turned it on. I tested it and it ran a few minutes, then it stopped.
MANN: Would you step into the back office for a few minutes, sir, and we’ll try to solve your problem. Al, handle things.
CLERK: Yes, Mr. Mann.
[Lapse of thirteen seconds.]
ANDERSON: Professor … you’re looking good.
MANN: All goes well. With you, Duke?
ANDERSON: Can’t complain. Took me a while to track you down. Nice setup you’ve got here.
MANN: What I’ve wanted always. Radio, television, hi-fi equipment, tape recorders, air conditioners. I do good.
ANDERSON: In other words, you’re making money?
MANN: Yes, that is true.
ANDERSON: In other words, it will cost me more?
MANN [laughing]: Duke, Duke, you have always been a—how do you say it?—you have always been a very sharp man. Yes, it will now cost you more. What is it?
ANDERSON: There’s this house on the East Side. Not too far from here. Five floors. Service entrance to basement. I want the basement washed—telephone system, trunk lines, alarms, whatever is down there. The works.
[Lapse of nine seconds.]
MANN: Difficult. With all these terrible robberies on the East Side recently, everyone is most alert. Doorman?
ANDERSON: Yes.
MANN: Back entrance?
ANDERSON: Yes.
MANN: I would guess closed-circuit TV from the back service entrance to the doorman’s cubbyhole in the lobby. He doesn’t press the button that releases the service door until he sees who is ringing. Am I correct?
ANDERSON: One hundred percent.
MANN: So. Let me think. …
ANDERSON: Do that, Professor.
MANN: “Professor.” You are the only man I know who calls me Professor.
ANDERSON: Aren’t you a professor?
MANN: I was a professor. But please … let me think. Now. … Yes. … We are telephone repairmen. The authentic truck is parked in front where the doorman can see it. Uniforms, equipment, identity cards … everything. We are bringing a new trunk line down the block. We must inspect the telephone connections in the basement. Duke? All right so far?
ANDERSON: Yes.
MANN: The doorman insists we pull over to the service entrance. …
ANDERSON: It’s an alleyway leading to the back of the building.
MANN: Excellent. We pull in after he has inspected my identity card. All is well. The driver stays with the truck. I go in. The doorman sees me on his TV monitor. He releases the lock. Yes, I think so.
ANDERSON: I do, too.
MANN: So? What do you want?
ANDERSON: Everything down there. How the telephone lines come in. Can we break them? How? Is it a one-trunk line? Can it be cut or bypassed? How many phones in the whole building? Extensions? Alarm systems? To the local precinct house or private agencies? I want a blueprint of the whole wiring system. And look around down there. Probably nothing, but you never can tell. Can you operate a Polaroid with flash?
MANN: Of course. Clear, complete views. Every angle. Details. Instructions on what to bridge and what to cut. Satisfaction guaranteed.
ANDERSON: That’s why I looked you up.
MANN: The cost will be one thousand dollars with half down in advance.
ANDERSON: The cost will be seven hundred dollars with three in advance.
MANN: The cost will be eight with four ahead.
ANDERSON: All right.
MANN: The cost will not include telephone truck and driver. I have no one I can trust. You must provide. Telephone truck, driver, uniform, and paper. You will pay for this?
[Lapse of four seconds.]
ANDERSON: All right. You’ll get your own?
MANN: Yes.
ANDERSON: I’ll let you know when. Thank you, Professor.
MANN: Any time.